


Movie Night

by lallyloo



Category: Eagle of the Ninth Series - Rosemary Sutcliff, The Eagle | Eagle of the Ninth (2011)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-29
Updated: 2012-01-29
Packaged: 2017-10-30 07:21:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/329229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lallyloo/pseuds/lallyloo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For the prompt: <i>Marcus and Esca are one of the few students with nowhere to go over the winter holidays at school so they keep each other company.</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	Movie Night

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted to livejournal in December 2011.

Esca hadn't expected to see another light on. He'd been heading to the lounge when he noticed, pausing just as he turned the corner to head down the north hall. He craned his neck, glancing back at the open door which cast a dim glow out into the hallway, and Esca's stomach flipped when he realized the light was coming from Marcus's room.

Surely the door was just left open accidentally. The lamp too, it must've been left on in the rush to head home for the holidays.

There was no way Marcus was still around. No way Esca's luck was that good.

He took a step back, standing upright, and cautiously approached the door. The room was silent, and Esca expected to find it empty when he glanced in, but to his surprise someone was inside, sitting at the far desk, hunched over a textbook.

It was Marcus. Esca knew by the strong line of his back, and the curve of his neck, and the fact that he was sitting inside Marcus Aquila's room – a room Esca had found countless excuses to walk by over the past four months.

“Um.” Esca said, coughing softly in an attempt to get Marcus's attention.

Marcus's head flicked up and he turned to the door in surprise. “Oh, hey.”

“Oh, hey,” Esca said. Brilliant. He wanted to kick himself. “Stuck here too?”

“Yup.”

“Marcus, yeah?” Esca asked, as if he didn't know Marcus's name, as if hadn't wanted to graffiti it all over his notebook during lectures like he was twelve years old again.

Marcus nodded. “It's Esca, right?”

“Yeah,” Esca replied, trying to mask his surprise. “I'm about to, uhh,” Esca motioned to the bowl of popcorn cradled in his arm, “watch a movie. Care to join?”

“Sure.” Marcus slammed his book closed and stood quickly.

Esca had expected him to at least ask what they'd be watching, and was pleased he could avoid that conversation for a few minutes longer. He figured there'd be a better chance of Marcus staying if he was already _in_ the television lounge.

*

“No big Christmas plans this year?” Esca asked as they walked.

“Nah. I usually go to my uncle's, but he's in Florida this year. New girlfriend, new holiday plans.”

“New girlfriend,” Esca repeated, “your uncle, you mean?”

“Yeah – ”

“Or you – ”

“No, him, my uncle. He has a new girlfriend.” Marcus explained, and he shot Esca an odd look, which left Esca reaching for anything to change the subject.

“I've got no family left.” Esca cringed the moment it was out of his mouth. “Sorry, that sounds terrible. Happy Christmas! I've got no family!”

“No,” Marcus laughed, “I get it. Sorry.”

“Nah, don't be. I mean, I've got family – aunties overseas and a handful of cousins. But you know, I've got nowhere to be this week.”

“Yeah, me neither.”

They walked silently for a moment and were crossing the study lounge when Marcus spoke again.

“So what movie are we watching?”

“Um.” Esca tilted his head in Marcus's direction and found Marcus staring back at him as they walked. “Damn, well, I was hoping we'd get into lounge before I had to tell you, but I was going to watch Love Actually.”

“Oh!” Marcus smiled, and Esca was expecting laughter, or mocking, or for Marcus to just turn around and head back to his room. “I love that movie.”

Esca stopped walking. “You do?”

“Yeah, sure,” Marcus said, walking ahead of him, and Esca nearly pissed himself when Marcus started singing, low and a little off-key, “ _I feel it in my fingers, I feel it in my toes.._ ”

“Fucking hell, you know the song and everything?”

Marcus paused and turned around to look at him. “Are you mocking me?”

“No, no,” Esca said quickly, jogging to catch up. “I'm just surprised.”

“Why? _You're_ the one who wanted to watch it.”

“Well, it's a great movie.”

“I know.”

*

“Bill Nighy is totally underrated.”

“I'm not sure if he's underrated or if people just don't know him here.”

“Yeah, maybe that's it.”

Marcus hummed along as the music played on screen, and Esca watched him out of the corner of his eye. He'd made sure to sit on the same couch as Marcus, despite the fact that there were several available and he could've sprawled out on any of them. Marcus didn't seem to mind, propping his feet on the couch in front of them as he sat next to Esca.

“Oh, Colin Firth –” Esca began, stopping himself, not entirely sure if Marcus would want to hear about his crush on Colin Firth. “He's great in this.”

“Yeah.” Marcus nodded, staring at the screen as the scene switched to Liam Neeson. “And this, this whole storyline kills me.”

Esca glanced back up at the screen. “Where he's lost his wife?”

“Yeah, and he's trying to raise his stepson. Kills me.”

“Yeah, me too.” Esca watched the scene for a moment before pushing his bowl towards Marcus. “Want popcorn?”

*

“Hugh Grant should dance in every movie.”

“It should be a rule.”

“Yeah, like, in his contract.”

“Yeah.”

They stared silently, riveted by the corny dance moves on the screen.

When the scene ended, Esca stood. “You want a soda?”

“If you're going.” Marcus reached into his pocket. “Here, I've got cash.”

“Don't worry about it, I've got it.”

“You sure?”

“I don't know, two dollars is a huge amount of money.”

Marcus laughed. “Fine, you pay then.”

“I will.”

 

Esca made it to the vending machine before he realized the drinks would cost three dollars, and he'd only brought two. He considered sneaking back to his room, but figured it'd be easier –though slightly more humiliating– to just ask Marcus for the extra dollar.

“Made a mistake,” Esca said from the doorway, and Marcus turned to look at him. “I need another dollar.”

“I don't know, one dollar is a huge amount of money.” Marcus grinned, and change jingled as he reached into his pocket. “Here.”

“Diet coke?”

“Yup.”

 

Esca got himself a diet coke as well, regretting his decision as soon as he took a sip. “Tastes like chemicals.”

“Better than a bucket of sugar.”

“I like sugar.”

“You want something different?” Marcus reached into his pocket again. “I've got lots of change.”

“Yeah, maybe.”

Marcus pulled out a handful of quarters and dropped them into Esca's hand, cupping Esca's fingers in his own to ensure the coins didn't fall. Esca remained frozen in place for a moment, distracted by the fact that they were nearly holding hands.

“I'll pay you back,” he stuttered.

“Don't worry about it. Just buy me one next movie night or something.”

*

“This guy, fuck, he should've told her.”

“Well he does tell her.”

“Yeah, but by then it's too late, she's already married to the other guy.”

“They could split up, you never know.”

Marcus turned to him, smirking. “Esca, that's awful.”

“It happens in real life, it could happen in the movies.”

“No, see, that's the tragedy of it. They both know now and there's nothing they can do about it.”

“Pfft.” Esca laughed. “Divorce.”

Marcus gave him a playful kick, nudging Esca's foot on the back of the couch. “That's mean.”

“Relax, I'm kidding.” Esca said, nudging Marcus's foot in return. He tapped against it twice, then let his foot settle next to Marcus's, the side of his foot resting against Marcus's ankle. When Marcus didn't respond or pull away in surprise, Esca left it there.

*

“Bottle.”

“Bottle,” Esca said, repeating Marcus.

“Straw.”

“Straw.

“Table.”

“Table.”

Marcus burst out laughing. “Table really does sound the same.”

“What about the rest?”

“Well, yeah, they sound different.” Marcus turned back to the screen, mumbling, “your voice sounds better than his though.”

“What?”

“Better than that guy,” Marcus explained, his eyes locked on the movie. “Your voice, I mean, sounds better.”

“Oh.” Esca turned back to the movie, trying not to read anything into the words. “Thanks.”

They stared at the screen as several characters fell into bed together, and then the scene switched and Esca found himself dreading what came next.

“Ugh, this scene” he muttered.

“The Joni Mitchell scene?”

“Yes.”

Esca said nothing more, not trusting himself to be able to speak evenly, and he knew he'd be unable to deny any tears that might form in his eyes. Marcus remained next to him, nearly silent except for the low hum as he quietly sang along to the song. He was slightly less off-key than he had been earlier, and Esca locked his eyes on the screen, fighting the lump in his throat as Marcus hummed next to him.

“Fuck,” he managed to croak when the song ended, and Marcus elbowed him in the side.

“It works out in the end.”

Esca could only nod, and his foot remained pressed against Marcus's.

*

“Here's his moment.”

Esca shifted up straighter, ready for his favorite scene in the entire movie. He'd mocked it earlier, but he hadn't meant a word of it. It really was a bittersweet, tragic sort of thing.

“With any luck, by next year..”

Esca turned to glance at Marcus, grinning when he realized Marcus was reciting the words on the screen.

“I'll be going out with one of these girls..”

“But for now let me say,” Esca continued, “without hope or agenda..”

Marcus smiled, keeping his eyes on the television. “Just because it's Christmas – ”

“And at Christmas you tell the truth.”

Esca took a deep breath, waiting to hear Marcus say the line.

“To me, you are perfect.”

A small thrill coursed through Esca, even though he knew it was a just a movie. “And my wasted heart – ” He paused, knowing what was coming next and feeling odd saying it out loud. The scene had already moved on when he managed to spit out the words, “will love you..”

Marcus kept smiling, saying the rest of the words anyway. “Until you look like this..”

They laughed quietly as the scene finished, and then Esca shifted and eased his foot off Marcus's.

“Best scene in the movie.”

“Yeah.”

“And now, divorce time,” Esca said, trying to lighten the moment, and to his relief Marcus just laughed.

*

“The dancing little girls – ”

“Who just want carols?”

“Yes!”

“Dancing to Good King Wenceslas.”

“It's brilliant. 'Please, sir, please.'”

“Pleeeeeease.”

Esca laughed at Marcus's impression, risking tapping his foot against Marcus's again. “I still can't believe you like this movie.”

“Why's it so hard to believe?”

“I don't know.” Esca glanced over to find Marcus watching him. “Because you're you.”

“So?”

“So, I don't know. I just didn't expect it.”

Esca turned his focus back to the movie, trying to avoid further awkwardness. The grade school class was singing on screen and Esca assumed Marcus was watching too until he spoke.

“You walk by my room all the time.”

Esca side-eyed Marcus, wary of the conversation and feeling a bit defensive. “So? We live on the same floor.”

“There's an exit at your end, but you always use the one at my end.”

“Didn't realize I was only allowed to use one exit.”

“You can use whatever exit you want, I just noticed that you use the one by my room a lot.”

“Is there a reason you've noticed? Or you just like to keep tabs on the weird guy at the end of the hall?”

“I don't think you're weird.”

“Geeky then.”

“Whatever. How come you never knocked before tonight?”

Esca shrugged. “Didn't know what we'd talk about. I didn't even think you knew my name.”

“I knew it. I went to your door one time to find out, because I kept seeing you.”

“Well, sorry, didn't mean to stalk.”

“I didn't think you were stalking.”

“Didn't mean to pester then.”

“Esca,” Marcus stressed, sitting up to look at him. “Jesus, would you stop?”

Marcus leaned in and kissed him, quick and hard, shutting him up before he could speak.

“I was trying to tell you, I didn't mind,” Marcus said as he pulled away.

“Oh,” Esca replied, slightly dazed. “Good then.”

He stared at Marcus for a moment and Marcus just stared back at him, grinning.

“Is this when I say _'to me, you're perfect'_?”

“Shut up,” Esca said, smiling back. “I think this is probably when we kiss again.”

*

Marcus stood in the doorway, holding the empty popcorn bowl as he waited for Esca to eject the dvd and turn off the television.

“So Christmas movies all week? Just you, me, and the tv lounge?”

Esca nodded, following him out of the room. “Best Christmas holiday ever.”

“What should we watch tomorrow?”

Esca smiled and looked over at Marcus. “You decide.”


End file.
